Social Media Trends Marketers Should Use In 2014

by Donald Parker Consultant

There is no use of keeping your social media campaigning static because of one single reason that the social media scenario changes every week. Every social media website changes its algorithms in few weeks making it challenging for marketing professionals to use them for their benefit. Since, this has become a very common thing in the world of social media; social media marketers devise a yearly strategy and try to follow it throughout the year. Walking on the same path, there are a few trends to follow this year. Here are the top five of them.

1. Diversify – The first trend is named diversify simply because of the fact mentioned above that every website changes its algorithm in a few months. An independent study recently claimed that only six percent of your total audience watches your posts. Social media experts say that this figure will continue to crash down, eventually reaching at one percent. In clear words, over-dependence on one platform throws you at the mercy of that platform. Thus, indulge in campaigning on different platforms, as this will help you keep things under your control.

2. Google+ is the next big wave – If you ask me to put one platform into spotlight for business marketing campaign, I would choose Google+. It is already interfering with the Google search results and my wit says that this trend will continue in 2014. Adding to this was a shocking video, where Matt Cutts from Google claimed that Facebook and Twitter has no impact on the search results because of some crawling and accessibility issues. This means that Google is left with just one option, i.e. Google+ where it can crawl wherever it wants.

3. Integrate SEO, Social Media and content creation – Most marketers are running away from the idea that social media, SEO and content creation happen in isolation. The fact is that SMM plays a decisive role in how your content is seen and shared over the Internet. If we go in accordance with the latest Google algorithms, content creation and marketing, both have direct insinuation in your SEO performance. Thus, it would be wise to take care of all the three pillars (SEO, Content and Social Media) of your business marketing campaign.

4. Visual content will rule – Researches say that more than 63 percent posts on the social media websites come in the form of images. Thus, it can be said that visual involvement is very important for businesses, if they are planning a social media campaign. A recent study conducted about Pinterest revealed that around 29 percent Pinterest users bought an item after posting them or re-pinning them on the network. Video content is also expected to stay hotter as it has always been with the inclusion of networks like Vine and Instagram.

5. Social media – a brand builder – If you are in an attempt to rule social media, you will have to work strategically and in a brand oriented approach. Remember, your social media campaign will play a major role in your overall SEO campaign and this impact will be a long-term.

No doubt that social media is evolving, equally evolving are the methodologies used by marketers and till now, they have been hugely successful in harnessing the benefits of these social media channels. If you are a marketer, all you need to do is to understand them, learn to tackle them and focus on the core goals. Lastly, continue experimenting with different tactics and see your business evolve.